


Sands Of The Past

by Liz_87



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24537709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87
Summary: Home alone late one night Duffy reminisces. Series 32/33.
Relationships: Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead
Kudos: 5





	Sands Of The Past

Duffy sat on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around her as she watched the light reflect off the wine in her glass as she slowly swirled it around. She glanced at the clock, it read 11.06pm. His shift was scheduled to finish at 8pm. He should be home by now but he wasn't. He was probably still working in his office. She hadn't expected to feel like this ever again. She hadn't expected to be sitting alone, waiting, waiting for her husband to come home to her. That feeling was supposed to be a distant memory lost to the sands of the past. 

It was small comfort that at least she knew where Charlie was. That hadn't been the case with her previous husbands. No, that wasn't strictly true. She could take a good guess at where Andrew had been - with his mistress. Even all these years later it still hurt, she still wondered what she'd done wrong to deserve her husband's unfaithfulness. She'd tried her best to be a good wife, to be the wife her husband wanted. She'd worked hard to raise their boys and keep the house looking nice whilst still holding down a full time job herself. She'd never denied him on the rare occasions he'd entered their bedroom with amorous intentions. How had she phrased it to Charlie? Oh yes, "I'm so bloody boring that my husband sleeps around with the nurses!" 

She was unsure why she'd shared her hidden pain with him that evening. She'd just watched him marry Baz! Maybe she had craved his attention. Well, she'd certainly achieved that! She still couldn't quite believe that he'd said that a one night stand wasn't the end of the world! Well he certainly changed his tune mighty quickly when he discovered that she'd slept with Max. Now that had been a pleasant diversion, but she'd quickly realised that it wasn't going to go anywhere and the passage of time had allowed her to see that she'd only done it because she was lonely and craving attention once again. She certainly hadn't been getting any from her husband and as for Charlie... She'd felt a jolt of satisfaction when she'd realised that his anger probably stemmed from the fact that he was jealous. Not that he would ever have admitted anything of the sort to her face. 

No, that wasn't fair. She shouldn't have been trying to provoke a married man. Her and Charlie, it had always been complicated. Never quite the right time. The pain that had gone through her when the wedding invitation had arrived to say that Charlie was marrying Baz... She'd never thought Baz deserved Charlie, she'd always treated him so badly. A thought occurs to her. Had Baz sat alone for hours waiting for Charlie to come home? All those extra hours she'd spent with him in his office doing paperwork, both of them avoiding going home. She'd always assumed that it was Baz's fault that Charlie stayed at work longer, that she hadn't shown him enough care and love. But that couldn't be true - she'd showed him nothing but care, love and understanding over the first year of their marriage, and he'd still taken the nursing manager job, still worked the extra hours he had while married to Baz. The only difference this time was that she was no longer the cherished best friend working alongside him, now she was the lonely wife waiting at home. 

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. Was she actually feeling sorry for Baz? Actually seeing her side, and agreeing with it, rather than Charlie's? She never thought that day would come. Maybe she'd always viewed the idea of marriage to Charlie with rose tinted glasses, thinking that their love would be enough to see them through. But unfortunately for both of them old habits die hard. 

She looked at the clock again, it now read 11.21pm. She sighed, drained the last of her wine in a single gulp and went up to bed. Alone.


End file.
